Zach Jones, a research manager who spent 15 years of his life with ESPN, succumbed to a two-year struggle with colorectal cancer on Sunday. He was 41. ESPN SportsCenter anchor Randy Scott announced the news on the Monday, December 23, broadcast, with tears welled up in his eyes.
He revealed that the cancer "had metastasized before his diagnosis," causing him to eventually lose his life. On air, Scott paid tribute to his colleague's passing:
"ESPN lost one of our own yesterday, research manager Zach Jones. You may have never seen him on your screens, but you saw his work on our live golf coverage, our women’s college basketball coverage, or on any of our SportsCenter shows."
Back in December 2022, Zach Jones' wife, Amber Jones, took to Instagram to formally reveal her husband's diagnosis. She penned that after careful deliberation, the two had decided to share the news, adding:
"Zach has been diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer with metastasis to his liver. The current suggested treatment is 3 months of chemotherapy and then a scan to see how the tumors have responded to treatment. Ideally, we will then move to surgery."
In a blog post, she created on Mustering Courage, she revealed that Jones had no family history of colon cancer and no genetic predispositions to cancer. He was 39 when he was diagnosed.
Tributes pour in from all corners of ESPN in the wake of Zach Jones' passing
Randy Scott went on during the broadcast, reflecting on Zach Jones' time with the network:
"He came here in 2010 as a researcher and joined the management team of the stats and information group in 2018. More important than that, he got married here. He started a family here. The Stanford [University] graduate loved The Cardinal, and he loved golf. He loved his wife, Amber, and he loved his son Silas. He turned 10 last month. He lost his dad three days before Christmas.”
Kevin Negandhi, another anchor on the show, also took to social media to pay his respects:
"May you rest in peace Zach. A devoted dad who loved golf, the Chargers and his family,” he penned on X on Monday. “He was a fantastic researcher and had the perfect demeanor for TV. He will be missed by so many. Sending all of our love to his wife, son and their family. F— cancer.”
Gregg Colli, another ESPN staffer, echoed the sentiments in a comment on Negandhi’s post, noting:
"Zach was the best. The original fantasy football researcher who handled a ridiculous volume of work with a smile and no complaints. He was as good a human as it gets. Cancer Sucks!”
Laura, username @lvalentineeee, also took to Instagram to honor the departed, noting that Zach was "one of the best." She added that she was "lucky to work with him for years in Bristol," revealing that it was there that she met his wife, Amber. She added that the three became good friends, referring to the couple as "two of the kindest and warmest people."
At the time of writing, Amber Jones has yet to formally announce her husband's passing. None of the websites created to offer updates on Zach Jones' have announced his demise, and she only reposted @lvalentineeee's story on her Instagram account.
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Reportedly, Zach Jones attended Stanford, and upon joining ESPN in 2010, he worked for the Stats and Information department. Per The Spun, he played an influential role in how ESPN covered sports.
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